In true professorial fashion, Obama averages some 20 more words per minute

Austin, Texas, USA. September 28, 2008. The first presidential debate of the 2008 Campaign resulted in a ‘Linguistic Dead Heat’ according to an analysis performed by The Global Language Monitor (www.LanguageMonitor.com). In nearly every category, from grade level to the use of passive voice, even the average numbers of letters in the words they chose, the candidates remained within the statistical margin of error with one major exception. In the Number of Words category that the candidates used to convey their messages, Obama, in true professorial style, outdistanced McCain by some thousand words, which breaks down to an average of about 20 more words per minute.

“As in the famous Harvard-Yale game back in 1968, Harvard declared a victory after securing a come-from-behind 29-29 tie. In the same manner, both sides in the debate have declared victory in an essential deadlocked outcome,” said Paul JJ Payack, President and Chief Word Analyst of GLM. “Look at the debate as a football game. Both teams effectively moved the ball. However, the scoring was low, and the quarterbacks performed as expected, with McCain completing some excellently thrown passes only to have others blocked by Obama. Obama’s ground game was more impressive, churning out the yards — but he had difficulty getting the ball over the goal line.”

The statistical breakdown follows.

McCain

Obama

Sentences per paragraph

2.2

2.1

Words per sentence

15.9

17.4

Characters per word

4.4

4.3

Passive voice

5%

5%

Ease of Reading (100 Top)

63.7

66.8

Grade Level

8.3

8.2

Number of words (approximate)

7,150

8,068

Notes: The excessive use of passive voice can be used to obscure responsibility, since there is no ‘doer of the action’. For example, ‘Taxes will be raised’ is a passive construction, while ‘I will raise (or lower) taxes’ is an active construction. Five percent is considered low.

The number of words is considered approximate, since transcripts vary.

The methodology employed is a modified Flesch-Kincaid formulation.

About The Global Language Monitor

Austin-Texas-based Global Language Monitor analyzes and catalogues the latest trends in word usage and word choices, and their impact on the various aspects of culture, with a particular emphasis upon Global English. A worldwide assemblage of language professionals, teachers, wordsmiths and bibliophiles, supports the GLM to help monitor the latest trends in the evolution (and demise) of language, word usage and word choices.

English has become the first truly global language with some 1.35 billion speakers as a first, second or auxiliary language. Paul JJ Payack examines its impact on the world economy, culture and society in A Million Words and Counting (Citadel Press, New York, 2008).
For more information, call 1.512.815.8836, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.

First Internet-based College and University Rankings

Austin, Texas, USA. September 19, 2008. In an exclusive TrendTopper MediaBuzz analysis of the nation’s colleges and universities, the Global Language Monitor (www.LangaugeMonitor.com) has ranked the nation’s colleges and universities according their appearance on the Internet, throughout the Blogosphere, as well in the global print and electronic media. The rankings include Social Media.

“There are only three types of intellectual property in the US, and one of them is the trademark (or brand) which are intended to represent all the perceived attributes of a service – and institutions of higher education are no different,” said Paul JJ Payack, President and Chief Word Analyst at GLM. “Prospective students, alumni, employers, and the world at large believe that students who are graduated from such institutions will carry on the all the hallmarks of that particular school. Our TrendTopper analysis is a way of seeing the schools through the eyes of the world at large.”

The schools were also ranked according to ‘media momentum’ defined as having the largest change in media citations over the last year.

GLM used its proprietary Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI) software for the TrendTopper Media Buzz Analysis.GLM used the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s classifications to distinguish between Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges.The schools were ranked according to their positions in early September, a mid-year snapshot, and used the last day of 2007 as the base.

Austin, Texas, USA. September 19, 2008. (Updated) In an exclusive TrendTopper Media BuzzTManalysis of the nation’s colleges and universities, the Global Language Monitor (www.LangaugeMonitor.com) has ranked the nation’s colleges and universities according their appearance on the Internet, throughout the Blogosphere, as well in the global print and electronic media. This analysis will be updated on a quarterly basis.

In the University category, Harvard nipped Columbia for top spot with Michigan, the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford following. Rounding out the top ten were: the University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Yale, Princeton and Cornell.

Taken as a whole, the University of California system would have outdistanced Harvard for the Top Spot by a wide margin.

In the Liberal Arts College category, Colorado College upset Williams for the Top Spot, while Richmond, Middlebury and Wellesley followed. This is the first time, in any national ranking that a Liberal Arts College from the West ranked in the Top Spot. Rounding out the Top Ten were: Bucknell, Amherst, Oberlin, Vassar, and Pomona College.

“There are only three types of intellectual property in the US, and one of them is the trademark (or brand) which are intended to represent all the perceived attributes of a service – and institutions of higher education are no different,” said Paul JJ Payack, President and Chief Word Analyst at GLM. “Prospective students, alumni, employers, and the world at large believe that students who are graduated from such institutions will carry on the all the hallmarks of that particular school. Our TrendTopper analysis is a way of seeing the schools through the eyes of the world at large.”

The schools were also ranked according to ‘media momentum’ defined as having the largest change in media citations over the last year. The Universities that ranked highest in ‘media momentum’ were: Vanderbilt, Virginia, Emory, Rice, University of Texas, Austin, Washington University in St. Louis, Lehigh, and the Universities of California at Santa Barbara, Irvine, and Berkeley. The Colleges that ranked highest in ‘media momentum’ were: Hamilton College, Pomona, Skidmore, Bard, Gettysburg, Sewanee (University of the South), Furman, Colby, Connecticut, and Colgate University.

.

Rank

Universities — Momentum

Rank

Colleges — Momentum

1

Vanderbilt University

1

Hamilton College

2

University of Virginia

2

Pomona College

3

Emory University

3

Skidmore College

4

Rice University

4

Bard College

5

University of Texas, Austin

5

Gettysburg College

6

Washington University in St. Louis

6

Sewanee, U of the South

7

Lehigh University

7

Furman University

8

University of California, Santa Barbara

8

Colby College

9

University of California, Irvine

9

Connecticut College

10

University of California, Berkeley

10

Colgate University

11

University of Washington

11

Middlebury College

12

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

12

Claremont-McKenna

13

Boston University

13

Carleton College

14

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

14

Whitman College

15

California Institute of Technology

15

Trinity College

16

Johns Hopkins University

16

University of Richmond

17

Boston College

17

Colorado College

18

Brown University

18

Bates College

19

Villanova University

19

Wesleyan University

20

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

20

Harvey Mudd College

.

GLM used its proprietary Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI) software for the TrendTopper Media Buzz Analysis.GLM used the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s classifications to distinguish between Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges.The schools were ranked according to their positions in early September, a mid-year snapshot, and used the last day of 2007 as the base.For more information, call 1.512.815.8836 or email TrendTopper@GlobalLanguageMonitor.com. An in-depth report is available on subscription basis.

For more information, call +1.512.815.8836 or email info@languagemonitor.com

First Internet-based College and University Rankings (2008)

Austin, Texas, USA. September 19, 2008. In an exclusive TrendTopper MediaBuzz analysis of the nation’s colleges and universities, the Global Language Monitor (www.LangaugeMonitor.com) has ranked the nation’s colleges and universities according their appearance on the Internet, throughout the Blogosphere, as well in the global print and electronic media. The rankings include Social Media.

“There are only three types of intellectual property in the US, and one of them is the trademark (or brand) which are intended to represent all the perceived attributes of a service – and institutions of higher education are no different,” said Paul JJ Payack, President and Chief Word Analyst at GLM. “Prospective students, alumni, employers, and the world at large believe that students who are graduated from such institutions will carry on the all the hallmarks of that particular school. Our TrendTopper analysis is a way of seeing the schools through the eyes of the world at large.”

The schools were also ranked according to ‘media momentum’ defined as having the largest change in media citations over the last year.

GLM used its proprietary Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI) software for the TrendTopper Media Buzz Analysis. GLM used the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s classifications to distinguish between Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges.The schools were ranked according to their positions in early September, a mid-year snapshot, and used the last day of 2007 as the base.

Top Colleges:

Colorado bests Williams; Richmond, Middlebury, Wellesley follow

Bucknell, Amherst, Oberlin, Vassar, and Pomona in Top Ten

Top Colleges

1

Colorado College

2

Williams College

3

Richmond

4

Middlebury College

5

Wellesley College

6

Bucknell University

7

Amherst College

8

Oberlin College

9

Vassar College

10

Pomona College

11

Hamilton College

12

Union College

13

Swarthmore College

14

Colgate University

15

Bard College

16

Carleton College

17

Bowdoin College

18

Connecticut College

19

Colby College

20

US Naval Academy

21

Barnard College

22

US Military Academy

23

Bates College

24

Bryn Mawr College

25

Skidmore College

26

Gettysburg College

27

Davidson College

28

Mount Holyoke

29

Furman University

30

Lafayette College

College Momentum

Hamilton bests Pomona College; Skidmore, Bard, and Gettysburg follow

Sewanee, Furman, Colby, Connecticut College, and Colgate in Top Ten

Top Colleges, Momentum

1

Hamilton College

2

Pomona College

3

Skidmore College

4

Bard College

5

Gettysburg College

6

Sewanee

7

Furman University

8

Colby College

9

Connecticut College

10

Colgate University

11

Middlebury College

12

Claremont-McKenna

13

Carleton College

14

Whitman College

15

Trinity College

16

Richmond

17

Colorado College

18

Bates College

19

Wesleyan University

20

Harvey Mudd

For more information, call +1.512.815.8836 or email info@languagemonitor.com

Most Direct of all Speakers at Either Convention

Palin and Obama Speech Scores Nearly Identical

Austin, Texas, USA.September 7, 2008. (Updated) In an exclusive analysis of the speeches made at the recently concluded Political Conventions, the Global Language Monitor found that John McCain spoke at a third grade reading level, meaning that his speech was the easiest to comprehend of any delivered at either convention.GLM also found that McCain scored the lowest of all convention speakers in use of the passive voice, an indication of ‘direct’ talk.Higher use of the passive voice is often view as an indicator of ‘indirect’ and more easily confused speech because the doer of the action is obscured:‘Taxes will be raised’ rather than ‘I will raise taxes’.

In another finding, GLM found that both Sarah Palin’s and Barack Obama’s widely viewed (38 and 37 million viewers respectively), and much acclaimed acceptance speeches were closely similar, delivered in language that reflected a ninth grade (9.2 and 9.3 respectively) ‘reading level’.

The basic language evaluation stats are shown below.

John McCain

Sarah Palin

Barack Obama

3.7

9.2

9.3

Grade Level

1.9

1.3

1.5

Sentences / Paragraph

4.4

4.4

4.4

Letters / Word

79.1

63.8

64.4

Reading Ease (100 is easiest)

6.4

19.5

22.1

Words / Sentence

2%

8%

5%

Passive Sentences

It is widely believed that shorter sentences, words and paragraphs are easier to comprehend.

The analysis was performed by the Global Language Monitor, the media analysis and analytics agency. GLM used a modified Flesch-Kincaid formula for its analysis, which measures factors such as number of words in a sentence, number of letters in a word, the percentage of sentences in passive voice, and other indicators of making things easier to read and, hence, understand.

This release comes in at the second year of college level (14+). Warning: do not incorporate these words into presidential addresses.

For more information, call 1.512.815.8836, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.

Final GLM TrendTopper MediaBuzz Rankings:

Lenovo Takes the Gold Pulling Away,

J&J Finishes Strong Edging McDonald’s,

Coca-Cola Leaps Over Rivals

Austin, Texas, USA.August 29, 2008. The final week of the GLM TrendTopper™ analysis of the performance of the Global Sponsors at the Beijing Olympics, Lenovo (OTC: LNVGY) takes the Gold pulling away from the pack, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) finishes strong edging McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) for the Silver, while Coca-Cola (NYSE: K), in a bold move leaps five spots to No. 4.

On the downside, Samsung (OTC: SSNFL) and Kodak (NYSE: K) each fell three spots to No. 6 and 7 respectively.

Over the last two weeks Lenovo has completed its remarkable climb from No. 10 to the Top Spot. The analysis was performed by the Global Language Monitor (www.LanguageMonitor.com), the internet and media tracking agency.

Global Sponsors

Last

Change

Rank

1

Lenovo

1

0

2

J&J

5

3

3

McDonald’s

2

-1

4

Coca-Cola

9

5

5

Visa

6

1

6

Samsung

3

-3

7

Kodak

4

-3

8

Panasonic

7

-1

9

Omega

8

-1

10

GE

10

0

11

Atos Origin

11

0

12

Manulife

12

0

According to Paul JJ Payack, President, “In medal round of our competition, Lenovo performed a Phelpsian move pulling away from the crowd.In fact its media awareness grew over 2100% since our baseline ‘snapshot’ on the last day of 2007.The strength of the Johnson & Johnson brand was also remarkable at No. 2. McDonald’s brand equity was leveraged in clever and interesting ways, especially with their spectacular kick-off event. And, once again, Coca-Cola proved itself in the distance events, placing at or near the top for another Olympiad.”

For more information, call 1.512.815.8836, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.